"I'd like to win a championship for the Steelers and for myself to shove down Detroits throat!" Bobby Layne - 1960

My Mint Bobby Layne Card from 1957

An Unloyal Act

In 1958, after leading the Lions to 3 NFL Championships and providing Detroit nearly decade of Hall of Fame play, the Lions traded Bobby Layne. Bobby was injured during the last championship season and the Lions thought he was through and wanted to get what they could for him. According to Legend, as he was leaving for Pittsburgh Bobby said that Detroit "would not win for 50 years".
In the pages that follow we present evidence that supports and confirms the existence of this curse which has been plaguing this team for nearly half a century.
If you don't believe in curses, you will!

In addition you will find a wealth of information about the Detroit Lions, their history, statistical databases, concrete proof of the curse, and many funny and sad stories of the "Curse of Bobby Layne". If you think the Lions have hit bottom now, check out our Lion Humiliations page to refresh your memory a bit.

Searching For Answers

For nearly 50 years the Lions have searched for answers and each time they think they have one, it gets foiled and they have to start from scratch all over again. The team is constantly in a rebuilding state with an ever constant Quarterback controversy (Ala Munson/Landry, Peete/Ware, or Harrington/Garcia). The coaching situation is in a constant state of turmoil as well, with coaches being either to easy on the players (Ala Wayne Fontes) or too harsh (Ala Bobby Ross).
When new players come in they say "I'm not responsible for the past" and because of this attitude the past ends up repeating. The answer is here on this webpage as we lay out concrete evidence based on stats and research into what is referred to as the "Curse of Bobby Layne".

The Infamous Fire Millen Incident of 2005

The Once Great Ford Rotunda in 1960

Blame The Fords?

There have been many non supernatural explanations for the Lions over the past few decades including perhaps the most popular that its an ownership problem. The fact is the curse began before the Ford reign and one year after Bill Ford was voted President, The Ford Rotunda, the fifth most popular tourist spot in the United States at the time, burned down and was never seen again (Like so many of our coaches).

I can remember so many instances where the Fords would hire someone and the general consensus of the fans and press was "Finally the Fords have done the right thing to get this team on track". A few years later, when the move does not work out, the same people lambast the Fords for hiring the said individual.

We see the Ford family as just another victim of this decades old curse, a curse which has unfortunately turned them into a laughing stock around the league.